Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series.

Hello, hope you enjoy this fanfic. : ) My posting schedule for this (if this fanfic is incomplete) will be on my profile. Thank you for reading!

-R.C. (Rosie Crescent aka fairytalendings)

Chapter One

Leo

I didn't know how long I'd been flying over the ocean, clinging onto Festus's back. All I knew was that I wanted to get to Ogygia before I went crazy with my unsuppressable ADHD. All throughout the seemingly interminable ride, I fidgeted, twitching my feet, wringing my hands, and even screaming random words at the top of my lungs. I was sure Festus was as eager as me to get the ride over with.

I also wished I had asked my dad for his blessing, or maybe even paid a visit to the 600th floor of the Empire State Building first. For all I knew, if I asked the gods about Calypso, they might've been like 'Oh, heck, we totally forgot about her. We've been meaning to end her punishment for a while.' Plus, there was that one-time only rule on the island. I remembered how Calypso had told me that a man could only find Ogygia once in his lifetime, and my cheeky answer that I was a rulebreaker. Even though I was grinning, I still knew, deep down, that she was right.

My oath as I had left the island seemed like it the right thing to do, and I still knew it was. But now, the goal of getting to Ogygia seemed more impossible. I kept thinking of barriers that would stop me from reaching Calypso, or letting her come with me back to Camp Half-Blood. Come on Leo, I thought to myself, you do it or you die trying. Seems more like a grim precept than encouragement, but it's pretty much a demigod's motto. Demigods don't just quit.

I watched as the sun began to slowly sink below the horizon, painting the sky shades of orange, pink, and purple. Finally, as the sky turned dark and stars began to twinkle, I decided there was no point in staying awake. "If there's trouble, wake me up," I called to Festus, who creaked in reply. I laid my head down on top of Festus's neck, wrapping my arm around it, closed my eyes, and began to dream.

I was in the center of what seemed like a little kid's room. A small table that was covered in colorful scribbles with two plastic chairs next to it was in one corner of the room, and a small bed lined the wall I was facing. Cartoon robots decorated the dark blue quilt that was messily pushed to one end of the bed. Sunlight filtered through a window on the wall to the left of me, and a short bookshelf filled with volumes was placed below it. I could see drawings, evidently made by a little kid, taped on the yellow walls. Model airplanes and cars were deposited in arbitrary positions in the room. With a pang, I realized I was in my old bedroom from when I was seven, a year before my mom died.

"Leo," someone said. I turned around to the source of the sound, towards where the door to the room was. A familiar man faced me. He had a tangled brown beard, and an even messier nest of hair. Smudges of dirt and grease covered his overalls.

"Dad," I greeted. Although I was still a bit miffed that Hephaestus never tried to contact me before I went to Camp Half-Blood, I was still glad to see him. His face, which many would find ugly or repulsive, comforted me like I was wrapped up in a blanket on a cold winter day. To be honest, his face wasn't like Zeus' handsome one, and his misshapen, rough features weren't calming and gentle like Poseidon's. Hephaestus wasn't the most handsome man on the block. But that's what I liked about his appearance the most. All his imperfections made me feel more comfortable and relaxed. In contrast, the other Olympians' otherworldly beauty made me feel small, unconfident, and wary.

"Son, let me cut to the point," Hephaestus began. His voice was deep and booming. "I know that your motives for rescuing Calypso are brave. But the other Olympians don't think so. They see your actions as defiance."

"Oh." I wasn't surprised. I was expecting at least some of the gods to disagree with my actions.

"However, I personally think it's time Calypso went free. The gods need to learn when to be austere, and when to show mercy." I thought I saw a glint in Hephaestus's eyes.

"Um, would you mind telling me where Ogygia might be?" I couldn't help asking.

"You're going in the right direction," Hephaestus replied. "Keep going north, and you'll reach Ogygia in two days."

"Really?"

Hephaestus nodded. "I'll make sure the gods do not harm you during your journey to Ogygia until you reach the island. After that, I cannot help you much with what the gods decide to do with you."

"Isn't there a thing that a person can only visit Ogygia once in their lifetime?" I questioned.

"Yes," Hephaestus said. "However, you are no regular mortal."

"What do you mean?"

"You died, but you were revived by the physician's cure, remember? When you died, you reset your chance of finding Ogygia. This time, however, you cannot return to Ogygia after you've left it," Hephaestus explained, then pulled a watch out of his breast pocket. He glanced at it, and shoved it back inside the pocket. "Well, now I have to go. Got some weapons to fix. Good luck, son."

"Thanks, Dad. Seriously. This means a lot to me." I smiled at him, hoping he was feeling the gratitude I was putting into the words.

"I'm proud of you, Leo. Not everybody can defy the gods because they believe what they're doing is right."

At that moment, the boundary that had separated us at the beginning of the dream disappeared. Maybe it was Hephaestus' praise, or the fact that I sensed the dream coming to an end. I ran towards Hephaestus, and hugged him. I felt his arms coming around me, holding me in the embrace, as the dream faded away to black.

I woke up, still feeling Hephaestus' arms around me, and I smiled with new confidence. The sun was just rising, and I could smell the saltiness of the ocean below.

"Come on, Festus. We're going to Ogygia."